August 2019 President’s Insight

This August marks the second annual Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month hosted by Prevent Blindness and the National Optometric Association. These two non-profits groups have joined forces to promote public awareness of the importance of healthy vision for kids in the USA.

Infants/toddler/children are unable to communicate their problems and as they get older are often unaware that they do not see well. A comprehensive eye exam can detect any problems and lead to early intervention. Vision is critical in early childhood development. When a child has early access to eye care, they will have their best vision and be able to participate in their education and social environment. Correction of early childhood eye health and vision problems is imperative to maximizing their vision ability throughout their life.

Some common childhood problems include amblyopia (lazy eye), Strabismus (crossed eyes), and refractive error (myopia/nearsightedness, hyperopia/farsightedness and astigmatism). Children can also have difficulty with reading ability, focusing, double vision and visual processing (the brain understanding the vision). Additional ocular health concerns in this population include infant cataract and glaucoma, premature birth and infection. A child may also be at higher risk for problems is they have been diagnosed with other problems that affect their physical, mental and/or, emotional development.

A comprehensive eye exam will evaluate all these areas and the eye doctor will be able to create a management plan to take care of the eye and vision. General pediatric eye care guidelines include eye examinations begin within the first 6-12 months of life, at the age of 2, once between 3-5 years old, then annually once a child enters school. This examination schedule would be adjusted for children at risk (family history of eye disease) or children with ocular health and/or vision problems.

In other countries, millions of children may face life without clear vision as access to even the most basic eye care is unavailable. We know that 80% of what a child learns comes through the visual system and that is why we also support global efforts such as Our Children’s Vision campaign as an implementing partner.

VOSH/International is dedicated to the provision of eyecare and enhancement of optometry worldwide. We promote and stress the importance of eye care of children. We applaud the National Optometric Association and Prevent Blindness for this initiative.

The National Optometric Association (NOA) was founded in 1969 in Richmond, Virginia, as a not-for-profit corporation. The NOA is comprised primarily of minority optometrists from throughout the United States.NOA seeks to advance the visual health of minority populations through the delivery of effective and efficient eye and vision care services to the minority community.

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VOSH/International believes in the freedom to see. Providing the gift of vision and eye health to people worldwide. We facilitate the provision and the sustainability of vision care worldwide for people who can neither afford nor obtain such care. Our goal is to increase our global impact whenever possible by supporting sustainable eye clinics, optometry schools and optometric educators in areas lacking sufficient eye care.